Numero Issue1 2- Anno - 20112010
Via Luigi Dalla Via, 10 - 36015 Schio (VI) Tel. 0445 502811 - Fax 0445 502999 E-mail
[email protected] - www.coges.eu
Lithos Bill Validator
Index
Versatile, reliable and precise
02 03
In this issue BillValidator Software
New coin validator Caesium
04 05
How we conduct a field test
06
Past and next exhibitions
07
News from the vending world
08
Coges news
The new Lithos bill validator designed by Coges presents some mechanical and electronic technological innovative solutions to offer the maximum reliability of bill reading and counterfeit discrimination, of quality and sturdiness of materials, of a simple installation and maintenance and of its multiple use. Some features: • Operating protocols: parallel, MDB, BCD, impulses, accept/
• • • • • •
return, serial and multiple blocks. Average taking time: less than 2 seconds. Dimensions of accepted bills: from a minimum of 50 x 110 mm to a maximum of 72 x 160 mm. Maximum number of bills in memory: up to 100 bill faces. Stacker: 300 or 600 bills. Programming by means of USB key or PC connection. Aluminium bezel for quick mounting.
BillValidator software Indispensable application for programming and management
BillValidator is an indispensable software application for the programming and the management of all Coges’ bill validators. This software enables the reprogramming of the Model set in the reader. Every Model includes general operating settings as well as information regarding a defined set of bills. The bill validator can be programmed using one of the default models or creating a new model. BillValidator also enables other important maintenance tasks as well as polling operations, aimed at checking the correct operation of the device, thereby ensuring maximum efficiency. Amongst other BillValidator’s main functions is the creation and the management of a bill database and of a bill model database. This enables top flexibility in the creation of customized configurations that can be transferred into the bill validator to determine which bills the device shall be able to accept. The operator can thus set his validator to the desired currencies and use it on different markets. The programming can be carried out by connecting the validator to the Personal Computer directly or by means of the portable Maxi programmer. The Bill Database includes a wide database that is already available to Coges. This database includes bills from several different currencies, thereby ensuring high versatility of the device. The database is constantly updated by Coges. New, updated versions are regularly made available to our Clients for free download in the Download area of our website www.coges.eu.
BillValidator also enables the operator to acquire bill samples, which have not yet been included in the database. All the information in the database can be protected by means of a password and saved into backup copies to limit any possible data loss. BillValidator is available in six languages (Italian, English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese) and supports the Eureka bill validators, the TP606 and the new Lithos validator. You may not know that BillValidator also enables to display a screenshot of every bill recorded in the database and associated to the corresponding bill face. In order to activate this function, all you need to do is download the “BillValidator Images” database from the Coges’ website and install it in the same directory as the BillValidator. Starting from version 1.71, BillValidator also supports the saving of the Model into a USB stick, in order for the Model to be quickly transferred into Lithos bill validator.
02
News Caesium coin validator Modular Design
change the model, by choosing among Coges available ones and change it by programming for instance new tokens for sale reasons. The presence of the Flash microprocessor in the control board of the Coin Validator permits to update the firmware without any hardware replacement, ensuring thus the best efficiency of the device. The Caesium Coin Validator is equipped with an anti-fishing (mechanical and optical) system at input which can contrast any attempt of fishing the inserted coins. The new Caesium validator was designed with a modular structure for a fast replacement of the sensor and the output modules. The programming of the main operation parameters can be carried out by using the external switching block, while the complete programming of the validator occurs by PC which is connected by means of a serial interface.
The new Caesium Coin Validator, thanks to its dimensions and its characteristics of versatility, reliability and solidity, is particularly suitable for being installed on small vending machines. Simple programming operations ensure the utmost flexibility of the Validator, which, therefore, may be considered a multipurpose product in every respect. Caesium is perfectly interchangeable with Coges previous €UR3 Coin Validator and it can store up to 32 different types of coins and/or tokens. The coins are validated by comparing their physical characteristics, the alloy features and the physical dimensions. The measurements recorded at the passage of the coin are then compared with the model stored during the programming phase. The coins which do not comply with the programmed characteristics, are conveyed outside and returned to the user; the coins which are considered valid, instead, are cashed. During the testing phase in the microprocessor of the Caesium Validator is stored a model with particular characteristics: nation, accepted coins, stored but inhibited coins, desired type of output and output value associated with the programmed coin. By using the PC and the EasyCoinCaesium software it is possible to
The Coin Validator can be installed in the vending machine in two different modes:
• installation with frontal plate directly on the vending machine;
• installation inside the coin mechanism with a special 5-inches adapter.
The new Caesium validator is equipped with two types of frontal plates, which are supplied as accessories, in the MINI version (small and compact) and MIDI (bigger and compatible with the previous €UR3 version).
03
New Caesium coin validator Modular design
TECHNICAL FEATURES
Dimensions Weight Acceptance Number of reprogrammable coins Max. coin diameter Min. coin diameter Coin thickness Max. acceptance rate Programming Power supply range Programmable values Temperature range Absorbed power (at rest) Max. Absorbed power Directive
04
89 x 49 x 103 mm 175 gr. 32 coins 2 Ø 28 mm Ø 16 mm de 1 a 3,2 mm 3 coins /s by PC and switching block 12/24 V DC (32 V DC Max) 32 0 - 50 º C 1W 6W Electromagentic compatibility 2004/108 CE
How we conduct a field test
Coges is not new to “field testing”, i.e. the trying of a new product before releasing it to the market. As many Coges customers know, this type of tests has been carried out in addition to lab tests for several years already. The aim is to observe how a product performs under normal, daily conditions, which are hard or even impossible to reproduce artificially. In many cases, the first testing ground is Coges itself, where the employees have had the possibility, over the past years, to test in advance the different cashless payment systems including the change-giver coin mechanisms, bill validators and other accessories that have then become a part of our product range. Instead of considering it a nuisance, employees who are asked to use just cash over a certain period of time - this being an example of a field test – are glad to offer a simple, yet precious contribution to improve a product or perhaps to detect problems that had not emerged before, thereby enabling the release of an optimized version. Because this practice has been common in the Company for a long time now, all employees are used to inform the technician of any “suspect” behaviour of the device, as well as to ask for explanations, suggest possible improvements and submit their first opinion on the operating characteristics of the product, thereby being part of an “extended” test office. At the same time, R&D technicians have the chance to exploit experimental data concerning more innovative products and to intervene immediately on the occurrence of any anomaly with possible solutions and alternatives without involving customers. Following or concurrently to the tests carried out within the Company, further tests often involve customers
who are asked to install and try the new products for a certain period of time, thereby relying on their critical advice. As both the amount of data collected and the variety of the situations where the devices are used are greater, the field test reliability is enhanced considerably. The number of people carrying out the test increases from a few dozens of Coges employees to hundreds of operators everywhere in Italy and Europe, and from a few automatic vending machines installed in the Company’s facility to many different models operating on diverse protocols.
During the field test, the Post Sales Department, which is directly in touch with the customers participating in the test all the time, provides them first assistance, which is always useful when dealing with new products, in addition to collecting all the information gathered from direct experience and pass it on to the R&D office, which can then operate to further improve the product. So direct field tests are well capable of disclosing advantages, preferences and problems and therefore represent the most important part of a test, especially with regard to completely new products. Coges is currently making use of the irreplaceable collaboration of several customers to test both the new bill validator Lithos and the new coin validator Caesium that will soon add to Coges’ wide range of products for the validation of cash.
05
Past and next exhibitions Upcoming events in Vending
In 2011 Coges has already taken part in many international exhibitions to present its complete range of products, including Platinum MIFARE, Aeterna and PROFIT coin mechanisms, Comunica telemetry module as well as Lithos new bill validator. Among the most important exhibitions, a special mention goes to JDA in Marseille, VendExpo in Moskow together with new retailer “Professional and Vending Machines”, Vending Benelux in Antwerp and, most recently, Avex in Birmingham
together with our partner Coffetek. All these events have been benchmarked by a very good participation and high interest towards Coges and its products.
Upcoming events: Eu’Vend and Vendiberica
From 8 - 10 September 2011, Eu’Vend will welcome visitors in Cologne for the fifth time. With its 34% international exhibitors and approx. 40% international visitors, Eu’vend will prove to be the European reference exhibition in the vending sector in 2011. Coges will be present at stand No. 8.1 A28 B29 to present the new bill validator Lithos and the new coin validator Caesium. For any information, please visit the Website: http://www.euvend.com/
VENDIBERICA - The Vending exhibition will take place from Monday 21 to Wednesday 23 November in Parque Ferial Juan Carlos I in Madrid, concurrently to the fifth edition of Horeq. VENDIBERICA started from the need of an exhibition dedicated to the sector of automatic vending machines and aims at promoting the growth of the sector as well as establishing itself as the leading event in the region (Spain and Portugal). VENDIBERICA presents itself as the most important event for the reference branch as well as a primary meeting venue for vending professionals. For any information, please visit the Website: http://www.ifema.es/web/ferias/vendiberica/default.html
06
News of the world Eggmachine - NOAH Eastern Campaing The Frankfurt centre (at the central train station) Tuesday 12 April 2001. A few days before Easter. While all shops are filled with eggs, an extraordinary automatic vending machine pops up from the chaos and the shopping binge. There you can buy eggs - real eggs, fresh chicken eggs. An egg vending machine! People come to see it from everywhere. Amazed children ask: “Daddy, look, are they really chicken?” Yes, they are! 16 healthy Royal chickens, safely delivered by Ansgar Vortmann, a chicken breeder, were there for a few hours only and kept in a safe environment. The chickens have been kept in a modified machine for a very short time. The purpose of this action, organised by the German environmental association NOAH, was to draw people’s attention to the inacceptable living conditions of battery chickens as well as to convince consumers to purchase eggs from free range animals only.
PepsiCo presents Social Vending System - the “social” vending machine From America - After the social networks, the social Vending: PepsiCo, producer of the popular drink, has launched its Social Vending System at the NAMA in Chicago. This is an online vending machine which allows consumers to buy a drink to a friend selecting it on the automatic vending machine and inserting the name of the addressee, his phone number and a customisable message. A message containing a code and the instructions on how to collect the gift will be displayed on the friend’s phone. The gift can be collected at any machine belonging to the Social Vending
Even though - to people’s astonishment - the eggs vending machine looked like real, it was obviously not possible to insert coins and buy eggs. Eggs were instead distributed by NOAH team together with flyers inviting people to “CHECK the EGG” and informing them about the four different chicken breeding systems that they should use as a guide to future purchases. NOAH’s action raised great interest. Besides people who photographed the egg vending machines with their mobile phones as they were passing by, contributing to spread information on chicken abuse all over the world, many media representatives came by to take pictures as well. Meanwhile, the 16 chickens are back to their courtyard, as happy and healthy as never before! For more information, please visit the Website: http:// www.noah.de/wp/eggmachine/
System, and the addressee shall have the possibility to buy a drink to one or more friends. It will also be possible to further customise the gift with a short video recorded at the vending machine. What to say more? You once would have needed to be there in person to buy your friends a drink, but times change...
07
Coges News
Summer Holidays 2011 We inform you that Coges factory will be closed from Monday 1 August up to and including Monday 22 August 2011. Our offices will be closed from Monday 8 August up to and including Monday 22 August 2011. For any technical emergency you can call Simone Cerato (dial +39348 7015868) from the day 8 to the 12 August ’11 from 09:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 17:00. Coges wishes you all happy holidays!
New automatic exchange A new automatic exchange has been active at Coges for a couple of months to receive and sort calls from outside. After dialling the usual phone number 0445.502811 (preceded by the international dialling code 0039 when calling from outside of Italy), a recorded voice will invite you to press key No. 1 to talk to a technician from the Post Sales Department, No. 2 to talk to an operator from the Commercial Department or No. 3 to speak to the Purchase Department. In any of these cases, your call will be answered by the first person available in the reference office. In case of any doubt, you can always press key No. 9 to talk to an operator who will put you through to the mopst suited person based on your needs. We seize the opportunity to warmly greet and thank Monica, the person in charge of the reception at Coges for many years.
Caesium, certified efficiency. The digital reading technology (DSP, Digital Signal Processor) used in the new Caesium coin validator has successfully passed the German Central Bank’s (Deutsche Bundesbank) tests for coin validation and false coin discrimination in the Euro area.
Coges S.p.A. Via Luigi Dalla Via, 10 36015 SCHIO (VI) Italy. Tel 0445.502.811 - Fax 0445.502.999 www.coges.eu -
[email protected] - Skype coges_ita Cod. Fisc. - R.I. VICENZA 00527790240 - P.I. IT 00527790240 - Registro A.E.E. IT08020000001303 C.C.I.A.A. VICENZA - R.E.A. 135113 M.E. VI003090 C.S.I.V. € 4.000.000/00 Azionista Unico: Azkoyen Medios de Pago S.A. (Gruppo Azkoyen - Peralta/Navarra/Spagna) Direzione e Coordinamento: Azkoyen S.A. (Gruppo Azkoyen - Peralta/Navarra/Spagna)
